World Cup 53 RP Thread

by **Valanora** » Sat Nov 20, 2010 12:40 pm

Valanora Times
Power Through

If the Marauders do end up winning the World Cup for a record tying fifth time, no one will be able to say that they have not earned their championship. In a World Cup that has been a welcomed home to upsets and wacky results, the Marauders have been powering through each opponent with a determined resolve that shows the testament to the ability of their manager to keep them focused. Winning your group is supposed to bring you easier matchups in the knockout rounds, but instead of being fortunate enough to face surprise packages, the Marauders were given the tough task of the sixth ranked team in the land with Nethertopia. It nearly proved costly for the side to have had their success in the group stages as the Nethertopians took our side to extra time before a fabulous strike from Laborious Hawk finally put the pesky Rushmori side down and out for good. The legendary midfielder's second goal was struck from all of thirty yards away, chipping the keeper as he was expecting a through ball from a streaking Soldarian into the box.

What is our reward for persevering through the tough challenge the Falcons gave us? Well, none other than one of the two remaining top ten nations left in the tournament and one that is looking for a bit of revenge against us for knocking them out in previous editions. Yes, this can be said for quite a few different nations, but it seems that the "Cannons" of Jeru FC seemed have taken the road of The Han Empire and have taken their defeat to us in previous editions as something of an insult, or thinking they deserved the victory. Truth be told, you could see a point, people tiring of the same nations, clubs, and what have you continually winning tournaments over and over again. Yet is it not the right of the champion or those that would be champions to go out there each and every time trying to win and putting every ounce of effort they can muster into that effort? It then is that no one deserves a victory, but that they earn it through a combination of luck, skill, hard work, determination, and perseverance through adversity.

Moving away from footballing concerns and thoughts, it is with deep regret that we have to inform those that do not already know that Zeratul Raynor, former Great Leader and owner of Raynor City United, has passed away. While it is not yet been made public the cause of death, it is obvious that all will Vanorians will weep for the passing of the man who helped hold together the country after a period of civil unrest and distrust following the fall of the House of Angelotics and the temporary stay of power of those that must not be named. Funeral services for Zeratul will be tomorrow afternoon at the Donna Cathedral in Mar Sara. May Elune guide his spirit to the Gray Havens swiftly.

by **Somewhereistonia** » Sat Nov 20, 2010 3:06 pm

And the Quarter Final results are out!

by **Pasarga** » Sat Nov 20, 2010 3:12 pm

We haz results

by **Aguazul** » Sat Nov 20, 2010 5:23 pm

The goal still stung at halftime, or maybe that was him concentrating on it stinging. The others were focused on fighting back, they were still in the game, there was still plenty of time to tie it up. But he was, at a certain level, glad he wasn't glad. Glad he could still focus, still try to win.

It had been Wend Rayghaest, there in the eighteenth minute, with the tap up to J’hys Ickaeth. Chago Villalobos bore down on her, but despite the size disparity she scrambled backwards and got off a shot. Vedillo Bazán whirled to face it, but he couldn't reach the ball and the Mystical Unicorns took the lead.

They'd dazzled after that, shutting down Aguazul's increasingly frustrated efforts. By halftime, Aguazul were still ready to fight back, but Gerardo was worried about the chance that maybe they wouldn't.

Maybe he wasn't alone. Who else was there? Naike, Sergio? Footballers in Aguazul didn't really count their age; if Bruno's official records were a little suspect, it wasn't a deliberate conspiracy but just a, possibly errant, guess. And Bruno did have official records. He did play for Mar Sara, and it looked like he would keep doing just that. Gerardo had just worried too early.

So who were the young ones, then? Even if they didn't count age, maybe all he needed to care about was who'd stick around the longest. Claudio, the new number nineteen? Or how about...yes.

"Sosimo," he didn't say, not because he was speaking Spanish but because Sortani was talking to them all first. Advice, how to come back. But he planned out what he wanted to say. "Don't..." How could he explain it? "Don't...never let us have rivals. Play hard, give all you have, every game." Which they did anyway. "Never mind who you're playing." They never did. It was just him.

Sortani nodded, the pep talk over, dispersing them. Gerardo rose to seek out Sosimo, and paused.

He's not like me. He's not afraid. He doesn't need me talking at him.

But they would have all said the same thing about Emilio, he told himself. And besides, Condadore had ghosts of its own.

"Sosimo?" he asked.

"Hey," said Sosimo. "Are you okay?"

"Of course! Just...nervous, I don't want to lose this one."

"Nobody does," said Sosimo, head bending to the side in a look of concern. "Look, you remember my goal?"

Sosimo, the entire country remembers your goal. "Yeah," he smiled. "We all do."

Sosimo nodded, soberly. "It was a good game. Mytannion, they, they were happy. They got the upset point. Almost got three," he shuddered. "And us?" Then his eyes were alight. "We got that goal, I got that goal, then! It was sort of like a win."

Gerardo nodded. "Yeah. Listen,"

"So even a draw, sometimes, can feel like both teams win."

"Right. I,"

"There aren't any draws in the knockout stages. Look, maybe we lose today, maybe we don't. But whatever it is, whoever we play...it's better when a game feels like it has two winners. When we win, you shouldn't feel like you've lost too."

"All right! Team!" called Sortani. "Go get 'em!"

Gerardo emerged from the tunnel, slowly, his mind seeming not to process what Sosimo had said. But as soon as play began, he felt something different. Something...

He couldn't put it into words, at first, but he was seeing the game whose beauty he'd clung to when he couldn't trust anything else. Plays seemed to open up, spill into possibilities before him; right there, right there, dribble forward. Towards the box, Elminster can't close in fast enough. Beyond Lassvanil, the top corner of... No, not quite. He wasn't scoring, they weren't making any sort of change in the scoreboard. He had to play as part of a team to win, and it wasn't happening for the others.

Openness. Space. In order to worry, you have to care, in order to care, you have to notice. Notice everything. Notice what isn't there just as much as what is.

I'm noticing, the same way Emilio did. So I am turning into him. But he never channeled the noticing. Never translated it into the game itself.

I can.

And that's how he saw the plays, unfolding, knowing where to run to even if the others didn't. Throughout the second half, he played with vision like he'd never had, though it was all he could do to make sure Dorian and Sonya didn't score again. It wasn't mattering. Until...

One last pass. One last try, because if they didn't come through he was done. Gunsedal, come on. A crowd of them.

At worst, it'll be just another handball. Out of the corner of his eye, Vincente on the bench, again.

But Gunsedal was clearing it out, passing the ball away.

Vincente was on the bench. Things had changed. He'd moved into the starting eleven. But that meant...

"Sosimo," Gerardo breathed. "Now."

It wasn't a shot. It was a desperate kick, a fervent attempt for another equalizer so late, it couldn't help be storied.

Gerardo's eyes drifted past the goal, into the stands, as if Emilio would be bitter there. And he noticed first, as he had been noticing, emptiness.

Empty seats because fans were on their feet, screaming.

One of whom wore CF Clan Tropa's white, the one next to him in Aguazul's deep blue.

It can't be. It can't be.

Why can't it be?

And the shot was nowhere near the goal, and there were 95,000 sighs of relief or disappointment or frustration that there wouldn't be that many goals, period, never mind whose, and Gerardo tried to focus because the whistle hadn't blown, and the whistle blew.

He didn't know what to say, afterwards. Later he thought of, "It's okay, Sosimo, it's okay, long after Aguazul has forgotten J’hys Ickaeth's name we will remember your goal." But by then Sosimo had figured it out on his own.

by **Daehanjeiguk** » Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:16 pm

*** DINOSAURS 'N' AWESOME ***

The fax machine buzzed. Wang and Hwang could hear the buzzing from clear across the laboratory. But they had to get there first. Immediately, they leaped out of their places, ignoring all SOP protocols that required them to replace the open oovule containment facility and freeze all biological samples at -20C. They ignored the "DO NOT RUN" sign. They also ignored the "NO HORSE OR PLAY" and "THIS WAY TO PUBIC LOOM" signs. They headed straight into the vestibule, where they had to wait for 20 minutes while they were decontaminated - essentially a full-body derobement, followed by steamy blasts to free up every orifice of foreign genetic material, a dip in 10% sodium hypochlorite solution followed by a dip in 70% ethanol solution, followed by a full 10 minute soaking in 100% deionized dihydrogen monoxide solution. Afterward, they would have to become fully clothed before vacating the premises (because the system was designed to allow only clothed individuals out of the room). And technically, only one person is allowed at a time, which meant that one machine was doing two people at the same time... not exactly optimal.

But once outside of the vestibule, the challenge became clearer. A 1093 meter dash to the office through free and empty hall space.

Wang had the head start, kicking Hwang in the face. He used the momentum from his kick to throw his weight forward, but he mistimed the shift in torque, causing him to slip and fall down.

"Come to think of it," Wang said to himself. "Why do we polish the floors?"

He started to run, but Hwang, having recovered sufficiently, threw his shoe at Wang. The impact was just enough to get Wang to topple over and slip again and while Hwang slid on the floor using his socks as non-stick skates. Wang, seeing the point, took of his shoes and started to slide in after Hwang. Hwang was nonetheless more athletic than Wang and was gaining a bigger lead. But Wang had three shoes at his disposal, and immediately dispatched the three at Hwang, who summarily fell over. And of course, Wang ran into Hwang, falling over him.

"This floor is way too slippery," Hwang remarked. "That Warkus dude must have just polished this floor, because there is no way we should be slipping all this much."

"Shut up," Wang said, getting back up and starting to slide again. He darted out while Hwang contemplated the slipperiness of the floor. But Hwang didn't linger too long, and with four shoes at his disposal, he threw them all at Wang. You'd figure that this was a tired routine, but Wang had gotten smart. He knew that Hwang would throw the shoes, and so jumped up and stuck out both legs on the wall, keeping him over the flying shoe projectiles. Of course, if there was one thing he hadn't anticipated in the whole episode, it was how slippery the wall was. After an initial stop, he fell down to the floor with his legs perfectly split. Needless to say, he wasn't running anywhere anytime soon.

"So... close..."

"What the heck are you two doing again?" the Supervisor said, emerging once more from his office and picking up the fax papers from the machine. "Ooh, we've got an order for dino-fighters."

"Dino-fighters?" Hwang asked.

"Yep. Pterodactyls. 14 of them. To the Nethertopian Army."

"Really?"

"Yep." The Supervisor pulled out a cup of coffee. "I suppose we'll get started right away. I don't think Dusan provided us with pterodactyl samples..."

At that instant, the ceiling caved in as three gentlemen in suits rappelled through the roof. They took the Supervisor's coffee cup, which had the Dusan logo, and replaced it with a cup that had a different logo. They similarly began replacing logos for Dusan, Samseong, and other companies with this one strange and different logo.

"What the %$#^?" the Supervisor said. "You can take the %$#^ cup, but I want my coffee."

"I'm sorry," the gentleman said. "All foreign-owned assets belonging to Dusan have been transferred to Imperial. Your coffee and cups belong to us."

"Oh really?" the Supervisor replied. "In that case, then you can have these two bozos as well."

The gentlemen glanced at Wang and Hwang, laying on the floor. They immediately snapped back, facing the Supervisor. "Your floor is very highly polished. You should consider using more wax."

And at that, having replaced every single Dusan logo around them, the gentlemen nodded and zipped back up the rappel lines. And just as they disappeared through the roof, construction workers from Imperial replastered the roof, sealing them back inside once more. The Supervisor, furious now that they had taken his coffee, threw the "Imperial" cup at the roof. "GIVE ME MY FUCKING COFFEE BACK!!!!!!!"

MBC Sports

Add Alligators for Goals, Please

QASARIAN - In what is likely to become an epic final ten minutes, complete with everything that you could imagine in the World Cup, the Han have edged Starblaydia in a tight match that pits the WC46 Finalists up against the... ermm... Cinderella team? That can't be right... Oh, and did we mention alligators? I suppose we shall soon explain all of that.

In any case, the road to the Quarterfinals is usually one marred by elves - particularly of the Vanorian sort. Either elves or penalty kicks. Unfortunately, we've already exorcised one of those ghosts, so we can only imagine that the elves will be standing in our way. But alas, like last World Cup, where the Han dispatched Aguazul in a thrilling 3-nil thumping, we are met with the Purple Menace from Starblaydia. The route here was not easy in fact. After qualifying at the top of a group which included Albundania, Osarius, TailsPrower, and OMFG Sierra Apathia, the Han had to endure taunts from Valladares, Tretskivucia, and Cafundéu. And Valladares proved a tough nut to crack, with a good 4-3 margin proving enough after Kim Il-Tae practically single-handedly handed the win over to the Han in the final half hour or so. Then Tretskivucia... we still can't find it in a dictionary, but that 3-1 margin is perhaps too flattering. And finally, Cafundéu... who after an embarrassing 4-1 reverse at the hands of minnows Tretskivucia (interestingly, not the first time this cycle, if we recall correctly...) interestingly decided to fire their coach (who was also the President - they didn't fire the President, because the President fired the Coach who was the President... you get it? we didn't either...) on the eve of their second match. A confident 4-nil win over Valladares put them one win away from earning a Second Round berth. But for the Han proving their mettle in a 3-1 win, which could have easily gone any way (there was one moment in the match when a snail was awarded a goal, despite neither team claiming the snail as a member of their team... in effect, the score was 3-1-1... hmmm, we should totally invent a sport that has three teams pitted against each other! [ed. focus on your article!]). The win left the Han with maximum points before the pistachio clash against Jeruselem, which brings us to here.

Starblaydia, for their part, have managed to evade the statistics. Judging by recent form, they should not have been here. But as impressive as always, they fought through a tough group that included the likes of The Holy Empire, The Babbage Islands, and Kulverint. They opened with a comfortable 3-nil win over Kulverint before fading in tough-fought match with the Babbage Islands. Needing just one point to edge over The Holy Empire, who surprisingly (actually, it's more of an unexpectedly but you should have known it was coming because they're just like that) struggled to make an impact at the World Cup. That final nil-nil scoreline placated Yaforites everywhere, while granting the Starblaydiis another chance at the World Cup. Martinez must have been thanking whatever lucky stars he had to escape with a PK win over the Archregimancy, who appeared uncharacteristically upbeat about finishing the tournament undefeated without actually winning the tournament (spiritual rewards, I presume?).

Hence, the two powers meet up once more. Well, met. It's all over, and to be fair, it could have been much worse. For 80 minutes, both teams just kicked the ball around the pitch, with maybe one or two attacking moves every half-hour. Lots of midfield work, and I'm pretty sure that someone must have been totally happy (the Yaforites?). But Lii Chong-Sun was visibly upset that the top-scoring side in World Cup Qualifying was failing to hit the back of the net. Similarly, Martinez must have been growing uncomfortable with each passing moment, as looked at his empty bench. Indeed, only TBA was sitting there, while his brothers and sisters were out there fighting for the prize. Martinez's selection for the World Cup has been somewhat controversial, but at least they submitted a squad. Right...

Kim Il-Tae was again sub-par for much of the match, failing to adequately test TBA from any sort of range. He missed an especially beautiful chance before the interval, blasting the ball directly at TBA's forehead (why he opted not to his hands, we'll never really know...). In any case, the fans were apparently growing wild and rampant, waiting for a goal, and unwilling to go for another fucking Yafotie (caution parents, expletives are present; keep out of sight of young children). They took matters into their own hands, raiding Spartas Staadion's alligator pen to toss onto the football pitch. Now... we must confess... Somewhereistonian fans are crazy. But they're also strong, to toss fully grown adult alligators onto the field (presumably they're there because the home team uses them as mascots? I hope... or maybe that's the Somewhereistonian Army's arsenal of alligators? who knows? who cares?). And instantly, the impact was immense. The referee gets his sideline officials to try and take control over the match, but they each run away (the fourth official, in the meantime is unaware that there are alligators around him because he's blind and deaf - literally). So the referee does what he does best and issues a red card to the first alligator. Just as security come to take the alligator off the field, the alligator eats the referee.

Not surprisingly, the goals soon came afterwards. Of course, the alligators were there to stay, but you can't avoid the local traditions when playing the World Cup in a foreign country. Alligators were simply a part of the game.

And after playing a game full of profligacy, Kim Il-Tae struck a beautiful shot at goal, getting it past TBA's far-reaching arms (of course, there was an alligator just inches away, so not all-that-terribly-far-reaching...). And with a goal coming so late in the game, you've just got to figure that that was the winning goal. But no. Starblaydia equalized. Yi Mi-Tae failed to handle TBA's shot properly and bundled it into the goal. I'd like to think that the alligators affected her, but there weren't any nearby when it happened. But not to worry! Pak Tae-Hwan would scoop up the ball and pass it over to Kim Ha-Run. Kim Ha-Run's shot then blasted off his foot, hit the nearest alligator (the alligator flew away into the stands, where it promptly began chomping on the nearest spectators), ricocheted off and bounced onto TBA's back, hit another alligator before deflecting into the net. The goal was so freakish that no one in the stadium knew that it was a goal. And come to think of it... how did the referees know because two of them left, one was them was blind and deaf, and the other one... well, he's in a living leather bag.

Not to worry, TBA would equalize for Starblaydia on the kick-off, having just shrugged off an alligator from gnawing on his boots. Yi Mi-Tae really had no chance with that shot, however wild and wicked it was. She was too busy being chased by an alligator while Song Ahn-Ji and Pak Jin-Jeong busily chased the alligator, careful not to get bitten likewise. All of this left the final moment of glory for Go Song-Ji, who was perhaps the winningest player on the squad, having won two TQCC titles and several CMSC (league and cup) titles, in spite of lacking a formal club at the moment. On the kick-off, Go Song-Ji had to fend off the alligators for just long enough to brush past TBA and TBA. When he had brought the ball that far up, he really had no choice but to shoot on target. And the moment proved to be just enough for the crowd to fall silent, even amidst the cries of pain, panic, and pandemonium.

But the next obvious question you might ask is how does a football match end without a referee to blow for full time? Well, that's simply, my dearies... because while the referee was gobbled up, he was not dead. And in fact, he did blow for full time from inside the belly of the alligator (thereafter he did die... but not until after the alligator that had eaten him hobbled off the field along with all of the other alligators, who seemingly instinctually returned to the pen after the game). Lii Chong-Sun refused to comment after the match, stating that it was a disgrace. Martinez, however, proved more livid, blasting the hosts for "allowing this travesty to occur". He marked his words with a yellow highlighter, stating further that he would petition the WC President - ironically, after several moments of executive indecision and indigestion, turns out to be a Starblaydii chap... - to review the circumstances under which the match was held.

Until then, the match remains a 3-2 win for the Han, and they go on to face the so-called other "elves" of Dorian and Sonya. It's another one of those curious places with an "and" in the middle of it (however, it is distinctly different from the "And" of Candelaria And Marquez), and despite performing well above their weight-class, they have turned pre-tournament predictions of turning into pixie dust upside-down, having claimed a spot in the Semifinals for the first time since... well... ever? On the other side of the bracket, it looks like Valanora will be meeting the winners of this Semifinal match-up, unless an upset from Albundania (remember them? yeah, them) changes the landscape utterly.

In the end, it's looking like another epic clash between Elf and Han. But first, we've got to get through the other elves to reach that sort of potential.

Note to the Reader: We have just received word while this article was being put to press that the recent Quarterfinal match between Starblaydia and Daehanjeiguk was canceled, rendered null, void, and invalid, and otherwise p00t. A rematch was scheduled, which the Han also won 3-2. w00t.

by **Albundania** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 9:59 pm

"That'll do! Nice time for him to grab his first goal at the proper! Albundania lead early into extra-time!"

Semi-Finalists indeed!

For those of you keeping score at home, you know Albundania are in the semi-finals. If not, the title above probably tipped you off. It was no easy feat for Los Azuelen to do it though, taking another 30 minutes after full time until we had a victor. We're going to start you off with an overview of the game. The first half was remarkably boring. With Andossa Se Mitrin Vega (ASMV) managing to perry every Albundanian attack, and Los Azuelen managing to perry the few attacks ASMV carried forward as well. The second half though, saw Los Azuelen switch to a ridiculously attacking mentality. Ten minutes into the second half, Albundania took six on target shots. Against keepers of lesser caliber, Albundania would be soundly ahead, but Emyle Triarii was having none of it, determined to see his squad through. The burst of offense seemed to tire the Albundanians out, and the Sea Dragons launched their own deadly drive, which took an outstanding dive by Kellogg, who only managed to deflect the ball to the crossbar. The rest of the half saw the same boring, if not a bit tense, play that most of the first half was plagued by. Though, as the second half came to a close without score, Albundania was slowly grabbing the advantage, building up their possession and waiting for a hole. Not quick enough to avoid extra time, though, and to extra time they did indeed go.

To be fair, it did not take long into the first period of extra time for their hard work to pay off. Just 3 minutes into the first period of extra time, Alexi Webb lined up a beautiful cross over to Q Inieta, who rocketed the ball past Triarii and into the net. Albundania led 1-0 in extra time. That was the last bit of excitement the game would see though, as the rest proved to be as boring as the first and second halves were. The only bit of excitement that did come was when Raul Ibanez came on for John Belsh late in the game, to prove he wasn't seriously injured. (He's supposed to start the next game) Extra time finally ended, mercifully, with a 1-0 scoreline in Albundania's favor.

So, surely, you must be wondering who we're playing next? Valanora. Yes, really. We can't honestly say that we aren't looking forward to the game, regardless of result, because it promises to be a goalfest. What, with Raul Ibanez and the Albundanian midfield lined up against the likes of Allandren Fresco? Should be a fantastic fireworks show.

Now, we normally don't mention rumors here, but this one is too good not to be mentioned. The latest one is that Lemanskigrad United are trying to reform, and that Jose Ricardo will be leaving after this world cup cycle to manage them. That's a semi-interesting rumor. What makes the rumor better, is that Martin Simpson would become the new Albundanian manager. We'll leave you to mull that one over, but don't forget to tune in to the Valanora VS Albundania match. Like you would actually forget, anyways.

by **Dorian and Sonya** » Mon Nov 22, 2010 10:35 am

No Midnight On the Clock Just Yet.
Unicorns Still Dancing At the Ball

Queen Sonya looked at her daughters with the smile of a very proud parent. Both had made it to the semi-finals of the Sylvanaes National Pushcart Derby and though neither had won the event, she was very proud indeed.

“Mother, we did do well, didn’t we?” Alura asked in that tone the Queen knew well meant she wanted something.

“It was our very best.” Lamari chimed in.

That settled it. The pair were definitely up to something. “Ok. What is it that the two of you want?”

Both of the girls looked up at their mother with those large round eyes that only one’s children can manage. “Why do you always ask that?” quipped Alura.

“Because you usually want something when you sound and look like this. Now out with it girls.”

“We want to go see the Unicorns play!” they both spurted as one.

“Not in the crystal ball or a wizard’s hologram.” Alura continued. “But in person, the way that you and Daddy get to see them play.”

“Please, Mommy. Please!”

The pair began to bounce around their mother’s chair while she pondered the request. The girls had never been allowed to travel outside of the Queendom before and it was almost too easy to simply provide no as an answer.

“Please, Mother.” It was Alura who once again spoke. “I want so badly to see the match with The Han Empire. It is the biggest match in our nation’s history and I just cant bear to miss it.”

Queen Sonya took her daughter’s small hand in her own. “Why the sudden interest in the Mystical Unicorns, child?”

“I have always had an interest in the squad, Mother. And I am hardly a child any longer.”

Queen Sonya smiled and nodded. Alura would enter her 75th year at winter’s end. (early to mid teens by human standards).

The girl continued. “And next year I wish to leave for the Mystical Unicorn’s training academy and will hopefully play for our national side in the years to follow.”

Queen Sonya looked at her daughter in shocked silence. She had not thought that the girl had harbored such dreams. And the thought was not entirely to her liking. “What of your studies. You still have so much to learn of politics and etiquette, not to mention your arcane schooling.”

“Already have that figured out, Mom. Lady Miramiel has already agreed to accompany me to the academy and continue with my studies there. All of them. I will be ready when it becomes my time to rule. But until that time comes I need to find my own place, and I think it is with the other girls on the football pitch.”

The Queen had never heard her daughter speak so grown-up-like before. She had obviously been giving this consideration for quite some time.

“Alright” she said. “The two of you can come with us to watch the match. But we will discuss all these other things when we return home. Now go and get ready. We will be leaving soon.”

“Thank you! Thank you!” The girls cried as they ran from the room.

Queen Sonya sank back in her chair. Alura wished to play for the Mystical Unicorns. That was news she had not expected. Was the girl even good enough? That would be determined at the Academy. And if she was, then there would most assuredly be a change in the style of kit the squad wore. The bikinis were great as far as things went, but most definitely not fit for a Royal Princess to parade around in.

“Time to be going” she told herself. “for all four of us.”

* * * * *

It was still early in the day as the Mystical Unicorns casually ran through some warm-up drills on the lovely pitch where they would face The Mighty Han Empire in a few short hours.

J’hys Ickaeth and Airewen Rololond joked and laughed as they pounded balls cleanly into the small practice net to one side. They had even begun to call their shots in an attempt to show up one another and J’hys had just called - and made - the most improbable shot that Alura had ever seen. Off the curved crossbar to the bottom left post and in. It seemed a miracle to the girl and she was even more awed when Airewen completed an exact copy with only a flick of her left foot. The two forwards were as good as could be found anywhere in the world and when you added the third forward, Narniel Amandguord, most defenses began to search for creative ways to stop them, most times with little success.

Alura turned away from the pair to watch as Wend Rayghaest instructed Laidiriel Roloeme and Sison Nyifith in the proper way to outsmart an over-aggressive opponent who came crashing in for the ball. The two younger players listened carefully to their captain attentively. They knew that Wend studied her opposition carefully and knew their tendencies better than they did themselves.

Along the far end of the pitch Jania Lassvanil had just finished a session of blocking shots from several of the Unicorn reserves. Alura slowly walked up to where the balls had been placed for another round that saw no one ready to run. She passed her foot slowly over the ball as if she were shooting. First timidly and then much quicker after a few tries. She imagined actually striking the ball and watching it sail past the keeper.

“Want to try a few for real? Everyone else is done and I still need a go of it myself.” The voice belonged to S’ser Ayleeth, The Unicorns new reserve keeper. “What do ya say. Care for a go at it?”

“Me?” Alura was dumbfounded. She had not expected to do more than just watch as the squad worked out. “You want me to shoot for you?”

“Nah. I was talking to the little gnome behind you.” S’ser laughed as Alura looked over her shoulder. “Yeah you, silly. Let’s see what ya got/”

Alura took a few steps back and then sent a rather timid shot at the keeper.

“Ya gotta do better than that. This isn’t a kid’s league out here.”
Queen Sonya put her hand on Lord Dorian’s shoulder as he moved to take action against such insolence to one of the Royal Family. “It’s fine, Dear. Let’s see how she responds.”

Alura flushed with embarrassment at S’son’s remark. “Kid’s League! I’ll show her.” She said to herself.

Somehow the ball had returned to its position and Alura blasted one to the upper left corner where S’son niftily caught it and spun it on her right index finger. “Better,” she said. “But not great.”

Shot after shot boomed off the feet of the Princess only to find a home in the keeper’s hands. Anger coursed through the young girl’s veins as she gazed upon the smug smile that greeted her every attempt. The rest of the Unicorns began to gather around to watch the girl take her shots.

Faster and faster they came and each one a shade harder than the last. S’son was still stopping the shots, but more with deflections than catches. And the smug smile had left her face.

Alura began to smile. This is what she was meant to do. Time seemed to slow in that moment before her foot struck the ball. “Off the crossbar to the bottom left post and in.” The thought was there a second before the shot and the ball screamed past the outstretched fingers of the worn out keeper and bounced cleanly from the crossbar to the bottom left post where S’son’s body could not prevent the goal and into the back of the net. She had scored a goal!

The Unicorn squad erupted in cheers as J’hys and Airewen looked to each other in disbelief. They knew the girl had been watching when they had called and made the same shot just minutes before.

Lord Dorian couldn’t believe his eyes. “Did you see that shot?”

Queen Sonya smiled as she answered, “How does the newest Unicorn look to you?”

by **Valanora** » Mon Nov 22, 2010 1:36 pm

"We have word from our covert operatives inside Vilita General." the serviceman told his superior inside the Military Headquarters in Raynor City.

"What news do they have?" the elf was younger than most in his position had been before him. Most heads of the armed forces averages at least 10,000 years, yet the General was on 7,893 years of age. The Military Council still had yet to be reformed after the members of the former council were assassinated over twenty years ago, mostly as it was seen as unnecessary following Elune's promise of protection.

"If what they have overheard is true, they are planning to strike Valanora, Somewhereistonia, and Pasarga at the same time with missiles containing the virus. It seems as if they are satisfied with the results against Zeratul and believe they can wipe out our entire people in one swift blow."

"Strike at the World Cup? Are they absolutely insane? What if this virus mutates and attacks not only our people but all those that are attending the competition? No, we can not allow this to proceed soldier. This is no longer an attack against Vanorians but against all of the world if they are allowed to go through with this operation." The General paused for a second as he considered the options available to him to prevent missile strikes. "Here is your orders, alert both the second and third fleet to prepare for missile interception, also alert Baysleef to prepare the fighters for similar operations. I will hope it wont come to that, but those fleets and planes may be the only thing that prevents this outrage." the serviceman nodded and headed back to the communications room to follow through on the General's orders.

The General himself kept walking through the facility until he reached his office in the far wing of the building. There was one last option available to him that would hopefully have the world not know of this tragedy and crime against the world, but he would need the Raynor's agreement to use them. His eyes looked at the phone that went straight to the Raynor's family mansion as he took a deep breath, it would be a hard sale but he needed to try to get their permission or else. Picking up the phone, he heard three rings before a voice answered on the other side. "General Thravrian, you have good news I hope."

"I'm afraid not Artanis, I have dire news. It seems our fears were not even close to the truth, sir, with your permission, I would like to deploy the Dark Bows to Vilita..."

by **Pasarga** » Mon Nov 22, 2010 3:00 pm

Who made the final?

by **Somewhereistonia** » Mon Nov 22, 2010 3:50 pm

The final awaits.

by **Dorian and Sonya** » Tue Nov 23, 2010 10:12 am

Cinderellas To Clash In Final
The stadium shook with the force of the crowd’s excitement. Fans of the Han and the Sylvanae jumped in rhythm and shouted chants supporting their sides at the top of their lungs. The whole place seemed alive in its own right as thousands of fans lent their own existence to the greater being they became at moments such as this.

Eighty minutes had been played thus far. Eighty amped up and furious minutes of offensive firepower that saw the two competing sides even at three goals apiece. Eighty minutes that had decided absolutely nothing. And ten minutes that would mean the difference between heartache and elation for the eventual victor.

Alura Sabre was on her feet as well, caught up in the excitement of the match along with every one else in the stadium. But as far as she knew, she stood all alone to pay witness to the way things would unfold. She had been alone since the very beginning, her soul on the pitch with her beloved Unicorns. She had felt the shot from J’hys that gave the girls a 1-0 lead as surely as if she had made the shot herself. And she had felt the same helplessness that Jania had felt as The Han first evened the match and then added a second goal to take the lead before the half. Alura had felt each goal in much the same manner, and now she breathlessly awaited the final outcome.

Less than two minutes left to play. Alura could almost hear the clock ticking down to zero. And then the atmosphere of the match changed just a bit. Almost imperceptible to most, it was as if it had been broadcast over the loudspeakers of the stadium to the Princess.

Nithiraxa Caleethdren slipped under the Han attacker and niftily won the ball as she made clean the theft. Alura saw Laidiriel Roloeme come clear in the center of the pitch a moment before the pass was made. She could feel the air in the stadium as it opened up in front of the ball and carved a clean path to the streaking Elven midfielder. And Alura could feel the grass crunch as Laidiriel spun to move the ball forward.

It seemed the play would be stopped there, but the Han midfielder came in aggressively, just as Wend had predicted, and a nifty duck-and-turn eluded the would be stop. The move caught The Han off guard and Alura could feel the moment of burst of excitement that accompanied Anilla Weresil the moment she knew that she would come clean of the defenders and have a clean path to the goal. The Princess saw the pass fall neatly at the young forward’s feet a moment before she felt the shot blast toward the Han keeper.

Thump…Th-thump…thump

Three booming heartbeats passed as the young girl who aspired to join the Mystical Unicorns waited to see if the keeper had been beaten.

Th-thump…

Another beat…and then the crowd exploded as the ball snuggled itself into the waiting net. The Unicorns had scored again! And a 4 goals to 3 lead had been taken over the Mighty Han Empire. Alura screamed at the top of her lungs as her voice joined the thousands of others who supported the Sylvanae side.

The Han started play as time wound down.

Alura held her breath.

A clean pass forward found the waiting feet of the Han attacker who had come clean just outside the box.

Boom! The shot echoed through the stadium and Jania leapt to intercept it. Time stood still in that instant before the nimble fingers of the Elven keeper managed just enough of the ball to push it wide. Alura stared at her hands. She could almost feel the sting in her own fingers.

The three sharp blasts of the whistle signaled an end to the match as the ball continued on it’s way clear of the pitch.

The Mystical Unicorns had done the impossible! They had beaten the Han and would now have a chance to play for the title of World Cup 53 Champion! Alura bounced up and down like a little girl. The Unicorns had won!

by **Somewhereistonia** » Tue Nov 23, 2010 3:02 pm

And third place goes to...

by **Albundania** » Tue Nov 23, 2010 4:07 pm

"Los Azuelen are through! They're through against Valanora! Finals for Los Azuelen! You can feel the excitement run through the stadium!"

Absolute Stunner

Perhaps one of the proudest games in Albundanian history, definitely the most exciting though. Albundania are in the finals, and a hell of a shock it was to beat first ranked Valanora to get there. Valanora got ahead early, cutesy of a precise blast from Vanorian Allandren Fresco. Albundania took the driving seat from there though. Just a few minutes later, Jesus Silva raced forward and received service Yuri Konig on the wing, only to blast the ball above the net. It really was that sort of game for Los Azuelen, as incredible as it sounds. Albundania, had they used all their excellent chances, would've easily won the game. As it was, no one could find the target in the first half for Los Azuelen, despite seven on-target shots and one shot on an open net (which hit the crossbar).

Half-time came, with Valanora holding onto a 1-0 lead. The second half started with the same attitude as the first half. Five scoreless on target shots later for Los Azuelen, though, Raul Ibanez took his first shot of the entire day. And boy was it a blast, coming from 34 yards out, he caught the opposition napping on his shot, hooking it into the corner that was just out of reach for Vanorian Undodhen. Tie game, with 20 minutes left to go. The next shot came from a beautiful pass by Q Inieta, which fed Jesus Silva right into the penalty area. Undodhen was there for a beautiful grab before Silva could grab the shot, though. The next shot came from Raul Ibanez on the edge of the 18 yard box, just three minutes later. This one missed the target altogether, though. With just eight minutes left, the goal would finally come. Alexi Webb launched a screaming shot at Vanorian goal, which their keeper just managed to get a hand to. He couldn't hold onto it, however, and John Mawrz was there to grab the all-decisive goal for Los Azuelen. Just ten minutes later, and it was all over. Albundania were going to their first final at the world cup in just their second appearance at the proper. Indeed, Albundanians should feel proud of their team, which promised little and have produced so much.

by **Pasarga** » Tue Nov 23, 2010 4:37 pm

And the winner of the 53rd World Cup is...

by **Dorian and Sonya** » Wed Nov 24, 2010 10:30 am

If The Slipper Fits, You Wear It Proudly

Queen Sonya could not believe what she had just played witness to. The Mystical Unicorns had actually won the World Cup. And not only had they won the title, but they had done it in grand fashion as well by defeating Albundania 5-1. No room left for discussion as to who had been better for the final match.

There would be those people who ranted and raved about how much of a fluke it was for the Mystical Unicorns to hoist the trophy and bear the title of Champions. There would be those who gave the credit for the side’s success to a World Cup where upsets seemed to be the norm. But the road to becoming World Cup 53 Champions had been no cake walk for the squad and like every other champion before them, they had beaten the competition placed in front of them when it mattered.

She reflected back on the Unicorns crazy journey…

MD1 saw a draw with BoF flameout Sillar and heralded a very tough qualification for the girls.

MD2 brought an embarrassing loss to Greater Tyrol. The loss prompted the firing of the most successful coach in Unicorn history and the ushering in of some new and untested talent.

MD4 Another loss. Last on the table. 10 points out of qualification.

MD5 was an unremarkable 1-0 win over A Rebel Alliance, but it was the squad’s first win of the campaign.

MD8 The Unicorn’s second win. This one over Ad’ihan.

MD10 A loss to Sillar. 8th on the table and 11 points out of qualification with just 8 matches left.

MD 17. The last of a 7 match win streak that ended with a win over Ad’ihan and the second spot on the table by a single point over the same.

MD 18 A loss to Valanora looked to knock us from qualification, but Sillar upset Ad’ihan and sent us through to the World Cup Proper.

And then the Unicorns did the impossible, they won the group stage undefeated against a monster pool including Cassadaigua, Sarzonia, and Jeruselem, all three of which we count as friends.

That was followed up by four more wins and the lifting of the trophy. It was a special day for the Mystical Unicorns and all of the Queendom.

World Cup 53 RP Thread

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